Sunday, May 21, 2017

Things I Don't Need (But I Do): Crosley Bus FS on Ebay

On the long list of things I don't need in my life, a Crosley-powered bus - a PROJECT no less - would be waaaay up there. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to be dreaming about this tonight.
I've been watching Ebay for oddball Crosley stuff for a long time, and this just might take the cake for the crazyiest Crosley project I've seen there yet: a Crosley-powered bus - like, a Greyhound-style bus. Who thought this was a good idea?

The seller says this was a food service vehicle originally used in The Beverly Park kids amusement park - the tiny theme park in the heart of L.A. that inspired Walt Disney to create Disneyland. The timing fits: Beverly Park opened in 1945, so Crosleys (and Crosley parts) would have been readily available in the early years of the park. The size - five feet tall, four feet wide, also sounds right for something out of a kiddie park.

Hard to tell, but the build quality seems pretty good. The body appears to be all metal, and looks like a tiny school bus, minus seats. The food service equipment is mostly there, but rough. I'd be sorely tempted to rip out all the catering stuff and install five or six rows of seats... although I'm not at all sure that a Crosley motor could move 10 people and all this metal. I guess that's when you install a Bearcat.

I can't figure out if the wheelbase is standard Crosley - seems longer, but the custom body could be deceptive. It looks like the driveshaft isn't connected to the transmission which also makes me wonder.

Thank god this is in Illinois, because I'm pretty sure I'd have to at least go look at it if it was still in California. On the other hand, it would be fun to check out, especially since the seller also has a very cool fiberglass-bodied '50s MG special for sale too - and with eBay handle "Bandini57fo" I wouldn't be surprised if he has other interesting stuff tucked away. Price is $12,500 or offer.

5 comments:

Looks like a lot longer wheelbase than stock. I would guess total length at 20-24 feet. It is hard to judge with it being so narrow. Thought it was neat when I saw it on eBay too and did a little dreaming myself. I was thinking Class A motorhome.

About Me

I spend somewhere near 40% of my waking hours obsessing over old cars. Usually, this obsessing revolves around an improbable American micro car from the midcentury period-- the Crosley. My fascination began with a quest to strip down my life by driving the world's simplest car.
Turns out that nothing is as simple as it seems.